We’ve hinted a few months ago about Apple planning a touchscreen iMac all in one desktop but we didn’t have proof at that time, but now things are about to change, as Apple has filled a patent about touchscreen desktops and notebooks that take into consideration he switching from a high resolution mode (controlled by keyboard and mouse) to a low resolution mode where elements on screen are transformed, get bigger of dissapear.

    It’s an interesting approach to what others are doing now. Think Microsoft with Windows 7 that has brought touch support to the masses, but hasn’t changed the UI at all, so it’s a nightmare to use especially on small screens and small UI elements. Apple approach is a little different but it’s not clear yet how the switch will be made at software level (hardware is pretty simple: just employ some sensors). Some say Apple will use two OSes on one device but that seems unlikely to me, so I believe Apple will just implement two UI’s on the same OS, that switch on the fly when you take your desktop/laptop from normal mode to tablet mode.

    It’s also interesting to follow the way Apple will built it’s convertible tablet laptop and still maintain the beauty of past uni-body aluminum MacBook Pros as a touchscreen display means thicker body and higher power consumption.

    Touchscreen desktop switching to tablet mode

    Touchscreen desktop switching to tablet mode